Psoriasis can be painful and itchy and is also an aesthetic issue. Fortunately, our physicians at Trident Dermatology, serving Charleston, SC, and the nearby region, can help ease your psoriasis symptoms and make the affected areas look and feel better.

Before you schedule an appointment, here’s what you should know about the skin condition.

General Psoriasis Information

As a skin condition, psoriasis causes a rash with scaly patches that often appear on the elbows, trunk, knees, and scalp. You may experience itching or pain, and the affected skin may bleed and crack.

The color of psoriasis varies from person to person and may be red, white, or silverish. For some, the rash will appear dandruff-like with flaking. Others may have a strictly scaly rash. 

Psoriasis is chronic and doesn’t currently have a cure. You may not always have the rash present, though. Sometimes, it’s cyclic, and you’ll have it for a few weeks or months, and it’ll subside, sometimes for years. However, it can return.

Psoriasis Causes

Researchers aren’t 100 percent certain what causes it. It’s believed to be triggered by the immune system targeting healthy skin cells, causing them to multiply more rapidly than normal. Moreover, researchers believe a combination of environmental and genetic factors causes the issue.

A flare-up may stem from a skin infection or even strep throat. Any injury to your skin, such as a scrape, cut, sunburn, or bug bite, could trigger an outbreak.

Other potential reasons for a flare-up include:

• Smoking and even exposure to secondhand smoke
• Heavy alcohol consumption
• Dry, cold weather
• Medications like antimalarials, certain high blood pressure drugs, lithium, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs 
• Stopping strong corticosteroids, like prednisone, abruptly 

Diagnosing Psoriasis

When you first arrive at our office, we’ll ask you to fill out a medical history report, which will provide us with information about your familial history of skin disorders or chronic conditions in general. 

A practitioner will then assess the areas of concern. This is often enough for a doctor to diagnose your psoriasis issue at our Charleston, SC, office. 

Sometimes, however, your doctor may ask to take a sample to analyze to rule out other skin conditions.